Cold evening OOTD

I've had this post ready for some time now but I haven't had time to write some text with it.

This was a few weeks ago just before my bday on a strangely cold August evening. 

Me, Mystery and some friends had dinner on one of thos tiny Italian seaside restaurants. When we got there we found ourselves facing this absolutely breathtaking backdrop. I couldn't resist taking some iPhone pics of the OOTD and the sea!

Pure magic!

 

 The grey sweatshirt is Ioana Ciolacu (wonderful Romanian designer that I've just discovered this year and have become slightly obsessed with)

Jeans - Bershka

Golden Flats - Pretty Balerinas 

Bucket Bag - Furla

Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister 

Late Friday Fav Five

Sorry for the late post. I was all caught up with a wonderful set of workshops that I attended and forgot to schedule this post to be published on Friday.
So today we have the Late Friday Fav 5. Here they are!


1. These YSL leather sneakers. Find them here for a heartbreaking 445€. And I mean this quite literally. I saw these sneakers in their fall selection and I could hear my heart shatter into a million little pieces at the thought of never buying them. Don't get me wrong, if I molest my credit card yet again, these could be a possibility. But since that thought is truly cringeworthy (apparently not an English word according to one of the EFL tutors in my workshops, but a mere American concoction. Well...God bless America!).
I might put this on my Xmas wish list and hope Santa's credit card is feeling better. :P

2. This look from Zara. I have a hate/love relationship with Zara. I love some of their ideas, looks, fabrics, patterns and definitely prices. I loathe (to be intended as truly the utmost form of annoyance, broken little hearts and small but deadly daggers) they wacky sizes, some jeans styles, definitely some of the fabric for their dresses (nylon galore anyone?) and their perpetually doubtful choice of models. 

But this pantsuit (?!?) is gorgeous. Definitely a great buy. Part of the love.

Find it here. Pants 69,95€ and top 49,95€

3. This Denim Midi Overall from  that looks absolutely delightful and has a decent price tag. Found on Pixie Market for 62$. I can definitely see this with a striped top and laced up oxfords. Or ... Oh, I can see a Polyvore set with this. Stay tuned!

4. These earrings. Easy has long been a bit of an obsession and while on my daily foray I stumbled upon this cute pair of earrings that can bat their eyelashes at you! You can find them over on Elisabeth's online shop ElisabethSpace - definitely worth a visit since she has great stuff!

5. This video. Because we're all freakin' supermodels!

Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister

Fall/Winter Essentials: The Cape

Fall/Winter Essentials: The Cape by greenvogueglam

Hello Fall/Winter Season!

As soon as my birthday is over it could practically snow and I couldn't be bothered. I am a fall person. I relish the golden hues of falling leaves and the fuzzy warm feeling of cashmere sweaters. 

Fashion goes back to being a game of puzzle where one has to find the perfect pieces and put them all together in a snug fit.

My fav F/W essential right now?

*Trumpets*

The cape.

I especially love this abominably expensive Valentino cape that I shall not name the price. But it looks amazing. Both styles would look great for a work day or a day out roaming the city. 

Your pick.

Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister

P.S. the black fringed Sara Battaglia bag was on my Bday list but Mystery said he didn't like it. 

*raised eyebrow* really? like really? 

Looks like I'll have to just gift myself yet another bag.

Friday Fav Five

1. YSL's Baby Doll Kiss & Blush concoction N° 10 Nude Insolent. Find it here for 40$/38,50€ in EU. This was my mom's birthday gift for me. I had been stalking the YSL make-up counter for some time now for this and she graciously purchased, packed and ribbon tied it and gifted me this awesomeness. 10X mom! It is super easy to use, long-lasting, it has a matte finish and you can use it on your cheeks (although I yet have to try it) Love it! Will come back with pix!









2. Marc by Marc Jacobs Metropoli Bucket Bag. It's burgundy perfection. I want to buy a (by now ridiculously famous) bucket bag for the fall/winter and I have to say that this one has really captured my attention. It's a great color, pretty decent size (not too big, not too small), it has that quirky little pocket on the front which will undoubtedly prove both useless and annoying at some point, but I find adorable right now. And it's 280€, which I can manage.

3. Valentino tan ankle boots. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you will have realised my obsession with Valentino by now and this wonderful pair will come as no surprise. They cost a whooping 890€ on mytheresa.com aka WhereISpendMyMoney Central, and I have virtually no idea of how they feel, look or fit. So despite wanting them desperately for no other reason than that they are gorgeous, I will refrain till trip to store to try them on. But aren't they bee-u-tiful?

4. This song. I know several of my readers are more or less my age or a little older. I know you guys will truly appreciate what I'm about to say. Those of you that either don't know who it I'm talking about or don't care, don't worry. It's an age thing.

Before the world split into Beliebers and Directioners, (insert that smiley face that sighs) there was a boy band that ruled the world. Undisturbed. A whole lot more innocent than Bieber or any of the unbeknown to me One Direction members, less drama, less girlfriends, less convictions and jail time, no Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/Snapchat/whatever other social thing. No totalled cars and no selfies while enjoying recreational drugs. And they were grown-up men.

Ladies and gents.

Backstreet Boys. I'm having a 90s month. (P.S. sorry for the crappy quality video but do you remember MTV back in the days? It looked just like this. :)) )

5. My bday! I had an awesome, super chill, family birthday. I cooked seafood and ordered sushi. We ate cake, drank champagne and took tons of pix. Next year I'm gonna go wild.

Kiss and Peace

An Older Miss Sinister

One year older

Hey little sinisters,

Sorry for the MIA. I've been bumble bee busy preparing for my super chill birthday party yesterday. *Sigh* It's already finished *Sigh*
I've had a really amazing year. I'm so blessed to have a really great support system with an awesome family, Mystery, his family, friends, dogs and everything else. I have achieved so many things this year and I plan to throw it out of the ballpark this year as well.
My career has grown, my blog has grown, I have grown.
So here's to an even better year as a 26 year old!

The party was super intimate with most of my close friends on vacation, but that was just fine. I'll plan a crazy Las Vegas style bday for next year!
It was all family. All fish. Everything I prepared/set/decorated/cooked. Except for the sushi. I really need to learn to cook that!
I had an awesome time. I will show you what my Mystery got me in a day or two because it needed adjustments. *wink wink*
Here are some pix from the the Big Bday after the jump.

Friday Fav Five

1. My new nails. I got inspired on Pinterest by a pin and went in to do my nails with a specific chaotic image in my head. It turned out perfect. I've also discovered my hands look like Milka the cow after three weeks of playing around in the sun. :P

2. Sephora's decorated bath foams. My mom picked up a few while starting her vacation and I got this one as a present. 260 ml of Berry Perfection. It is now my absolute favourite things in my bathroom and I think that for 7.90€ it's a real steal. Give it a try or take a look at the endless other sensory exhilarating fragrances.

3. Watermelons. I am head over heals with these year's production of watermelons here in Italy. Packed with nutritious vitamins and weighing next to nothing on the caloric intake scale, this sugary fruit has me reminiscing Romanian vacations filled with watermelons stacked up to mountainous heights, grandma's desserts and my grandfather reading the newspaper in the kitchen corner. 

4. Nina Simone's Baltimore. She is one of my all time favs. And Baltimore melts my soul every time I listen to it. Just press play and let me know what you think.

5. Last but not least, Mystery's Bday. He is my most fav thing. I love him to bits and we had a most romantic night out for his bday. He simply makes my life pink.

Kiss and Peace and Sorry for the late post

Miss Sinister

The Blog Tour Award Post

About two weeks ago I got nominated for the Blog Tour Award by lovely Gabrielle from The Gab of Gift. I am very honoured and absolutely ecstatic since it's my first nomination!

This award’s purpose is to answer some questions about how I manage Green Vogue and Glam and ultimately nominating 4 other lovely blogs that are definitely worth a look!

There are some rules and I plan to ignore rule 2 just like Gabrielle did since I tend to be very democratic about stuff.

Here are the rules for the Blog Tour Award:

1. Pass the tour on to at least four other bloggers.

2. Give your nominees the rules and specify the Monday in which they should post their nomination answers.

3. Answer the four questions about your creative process, which allows other bloggers and visitors to understand what inspires you to do what you do.

4. Compose this one-time post on a specific Monday (date TBD by your nominator).

How does your work differ from others in your genre?

I think each and every blogger is unique in the way they write, take photos, style and shape their blog. Unfortunately the sheer multitude of blogs nowadays makes it difficult not to find common points with other people. My grandma' used to say that every genius idea in the world had at least 10 counterparts somewhere else that failed to conjure the right conditions to come into existence. I think my most unique attribute is the fact that I am helplessly ironic.

How does your writing/creative process work?

I like to feel useful, so everything I share gets a lot of attention from me. Something like giving advice to a loved friend.
I share OOTD's because I myself appreciate them, I share funny anything because the world needs a laugh, I share interesting things because it takes a village to raise a child, but also to find the right toner, and finally I do a whole lot of research for my own persona so why not share it. 

Posts then kinda come naturally like a sort of one on one discussions with a friend.

I sometimes post 4 times a week, but generally it's about 2, max 3 times a week. This is usually some Polyvore inspo (which I secretly love), some OOTD and my new Friday Fav Five weekly post.

Why do you write and create what you do?

Blogging for me is half serious, half therapy. I am an overly articulated individual with a limited amount of people willing to listen so blogging just naturally extends my articulateness tenfold and undeniably within an audience of similar people. Therapy because I am very private about things, that's why *gasp* I don't have *drumrolls* Facebook. It makes me nervous. So a blog somehow makes me feel more in control about what, how and who is part of my life.

A lifelong passion for fashion should also be mentioned here considering it's been holding my finances hostage for the past 10 years or so.

What are you working on at the moment?

Trying to develop the weekly Friday Fav Five post, getting schooled on the FW collections, trying out gluten free recipes to share and putting together a list of amazing fitness link/websites/youtubers.

Stay tuned for more. 

Ok.

My nominations are:

Misha from Misha K.

Rachel & Lauren from The Flower That Blooms

Georgia Charlotte from Georgie Blue

Naomi from Getting to Nomi

Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister

Friday Fav Five

1. Pu-Erh Tea. I've gone goo over this tea this past week. It boasts fat reduction, cholesterol lowering, energising qualities that only needs to be drunk twice a day. 

It all started with me looking for something for Mystery's slightly raised cholesterol level (hereditary) and I ended up buying 50€ worth of tea under 5 minutes flat. Ha, story of my life.

I found both the traditional, no flavours added type plus a lovely rose-petal enhanced one. 

Needless to say, I took a whiff of the traditional one which the Chinese culture says smells like earth after it rained, I will cautiously say it smells like Ancona's fish market on a bad day, and I chose the rose-petal one.

I have now prepared 2 bottles full of it and had a cup yesterday evening with Mystery. We both love it. I will report back with the effects. Whatever they might be.

I bought it here, they have the most amazing store in my little Italian Dolce Vita town and a wonderful English website. Check it out.

2. This white coat from Anteprima's FW collection in Marie Claire's August Runways Edition. I really want a light, soft, possibly white coat for the winter and this just ticks all of my boxes. You can see the entire show here.

3. My new Emanuela Caruso bejewelled sandals. Mystery gifted me a pair a couple of years ago and I fell head over literally heels with her work. Unfortunately, I am not an avid sandal wearing Miss Sinister so I tend to shy away from sandals. But upon seeing these magnificent little things the other day, all of my defences (to be read credit card self limitations) went down and they became mine. What can I say, some people like faux jewellery around their neck, I like mine on my feet. You can find more awesome models here. Feet ART!

4. Maroon 5's Songs About Jane album. For those of you little sinisters that might not know, I am the biggest Maroon 5 fan. I have been so from the very first moment I heard "This Love" over the radio little over 13 years ago. I have every album, posters, broken heart over Adam not being single anymore, concert-going wishes, etc. 

I think their first album is by far the best. It has that end of the 90's, 2000 just beginning feel that made everything around that period magical and mythical.

I started listening to their first album again, and more specifically, I've had "Secret" on repeat for the past few days. :) Well, I do have to live up to my sinisterness, right?

Just in case you wanted to listen to it.

5. A little app called Seven.

You can find it on iOS or Android and it gives you 7-minutes worth of crossfire with images and voices. It's simplicity totally won me over. I am not a big fan of crossfire and yet this little app makes me jump, squat, tricep dip, push up and lunge for 7-minutes everyday. 

*Warning, if you miss three days in a month you loose progress and have to start over. :))) Way to keep me coming back app developers.

Give it a try!

And here are my Friday Fav 5 

Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister

Your Cat Is Talking To You: "The Science of Us" Episode 4

I've just forwarded this to my cat-person mother.

Am awaiting a reply or a meow.

:)



Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister

Gluten Free Crunchy Crostata

Hey little sinisters,

Today I have a treat for you. An actual delicious, crunchy, healthy treat.

I saw this recipe on this blog and thought I'd give it a shot.

I cook so much more than I allow anybody to think and that's all thanks to grandma and her wickedly delicious desserts that made me be a chubby albeit terribly happy kid.

This is actually a really easy recipe and despite being gluten free, it doesn't require a plethora of unpronounceable ingredients which one should weigh down to the last ounce/gram.

Gluten Free Crunchy Crostata has now been completely eaten and will be remade over the weekend, so post production testing has gone very well. 

Now it's your turn to enjoy this wonderful concoction over matcha latte in the morning.

Here it goes.

Ingredients:

- 200 g / 1 cup buckwheat flour

- 200 g / 1 cup rice flour

- 50 g / 1/2 cup roasted nuts

- 50 g / 1/2 cup roasted walnuts

- 180 g sugar ( but I actually forgot to put it in and it turned out just fine, sweet and everything)

- 200 g / a little less than 1 cup of butter (nice and soft)

- 2 or 3 espresso cups of cold water

- 1 jar of marmalade or fresh fruit

* optionally some extra ground nuts and walnuts

How to do it:

1. Grind the two types of nuts down to flour consistency.

2. Start your oven. Set it to 180°C / 356° F

3. Mix all the dry ingredients together - the two flours and the nuts.

4. Add the butter and make sure everything is mixed in well. This would be the moment to add the sugar but as I said, I forgot all about it and mine came out absolutely delicious.

5. Cut two long strips of baking paper and put the dough between the two sheets and using a rolling pin, roll it out as much as you need to fit into your baking tray. Mine was large and rectangular so the preparing was quite easy and I didn't even line the tray with new baking paper.

*The dough tends to get a bit sticky so I suggest not having to manually move it as it looked pretty complicated to me.

6. Put the jam/marmalade/plenty fresh fruit on top and either use some dough to decorate it (which is what I did) or leave it as is.

7. Place your tray in the oven and leave it untouched for the first 15 minutes. 

* Then take it out and add the extra nuts and walnuts if you want.

8. Leave it in for an extra 10 - 15 minutes / until the top edges gets crusty and golden.

9. Take out, allow it to cool and enjoy.

You will utterly love it!

Let me know how it came out and if you changed something to the original recipe as I did.

Kiss and Peace

Crunchy Miss Sinister